RACE REPORTS

The 2019 Worlds concluded on Sunday with the Prize-Giving Ceremony and the handing over of the Mirror Flag.

Olympic gold medallist and America's Cup winner, Tom Slingsby, and Wendy Tuck, Clipper Round the World skipper and the first woman to win a Round the World Race, were on hand to help celebrate and hand out the prizes. Tom, who lives in the area, said he had seen the Mirrors out during the week and was thinking of them during the big winds on Day Four. Wendy said she was sailing a 30 ft yacht at the time and she didn't want to be out sailing, let alone in a Mirror.

The newly crowned World Champions were Rumble Fish, sailed by John and Tyler Dransfield. John, a three-times Fireball World Champion, said he began sailing Mirrors at Albert Sailing Club in Melbourne and won his first State Title at Blairgowrie Sailing Club and gave some words of encouragement to the young sailors in the room. "We were scared too!" he said, as he congratulated them on sailing the Southerly Buster.

2nd place went to Wave Catcher (Cullen and James Hughes), and 3rd place to McMissile (Campbell and Stirling McKay). Wave Catcher also picked up the prize for Best Home Boat, as the Dransfields were sailing for the Netherlands in Rumble Fish. Rumble Fish's owner, Alle Roodbergen, who unfortunately couldn't compete in the Worlds due to an eye injury, was also on hand to celebrate the win, and John thanked him for preparing a fast boat. John's advice to new sailors was to get a good boat and a good crew, and he said with Rumble Fish and Tyler, he had both.

The Ireland Trophy for the Invitation Race went to Bulletproof (Simon and Tyson Barwood). The Seafort Trophy for the highest ranked female helm went to Foxy Lady III (Jessie Andrewartha and Grant Atherton). The Under 19 prize went to Dash (Charlotte Raftesath and Benedict McKay). And the Junior prize went to the courageous Irish team of Eoghan Duffy and Cathal Langan.

The Master's Trophy (helm over 40) went to Bob (Damian Carey and Austin Freer), and the Veteran's Trophy went to Waterborne At Last (Douglas Raftesath and Spencer McKay).

In the Classic Division, the winner was Blistering Barnacles (Sarah and Tika MacMaster) who did extremely well to place 30th overall.

Full prize list available here: http://www.imcansw.org/worlds-results.html

With the prizes given out, the penultimate act of the 2019 Worlds was to hand the Mirror flag over to the next host, Sligo YC, represented by Emmet Duffy. The flag was handed over by Douglas Raftesath, the newly elected President of the International Mirror Class Association, with Kuba Miszewski stepping down after three successful terms.

The final act of the night was a special thank you to Stan Bland, who was the driving force behind the bringing the Worlds to Woollahra Sailing Club, and an indispensible contributor to the success of the 2019 Worlds.

All the photos below are thanks to Robert Owe-Young. For more photos of the night, go here: https://robertowe-young.smugmug.com/2019-Mirror-Worlds/Presentation-Night/

So, that's it for the 2019 Worlds... Best of luck to Sligo YC for 2021! #MirrorWorlds2019

Congratulations to John and Tyler Dransfield in RumbleFish, 2019 World Champions! John and Tyler took over Dutch boat Rumble Fish after owner Alle Roodbergen suffered a spinnaker pole to the eye during the Pre-Worlds. The new team did the Netherlands proud with a strong performance in light winds on the final day to claim the trophy.The first race was won by Jonathan and Phoebe Branch in B2, claiming their first win for the Worlds. Wave Catcher (Cullen Hughes and James Hughes) came second, but Rumble Fish came third, preserving their lead.In the second race, Rumble Fish came first to pull further away on the leader board, with B2 second and Wave Catcher third. With one race to go, and a second drop now applying, only a disaster could stop Rumble Fish now.As the leaders crossed the line, it was Bob (Damian Carey and Austin Freer), ending as they had begun with yet another race win. Second was Bulletproof (Simon and Tyson Barwood), with Rumble Fish in third to clinch the title in emphatic style.A special mention also goes to Molly Stening, who bravely sailed on after taking a spinnaker pole to the face. Her boat, Blue, came second overall in the Classic Division.As is tradition, the new World Champions stayed out on the water until all the other boats had come ashore, and then they were carried up the ramp to the sound of the Dutch and Australian national anthems. Alle and Anna Roodbergen were there to celebrate with the other sailors.Fulll results here: http://www.imcansw.org/uploads/…/8/13987755/worlds_final.pdfThe full prize list will be available later in a separate post.As usual, don't forget to checkout Robert Owe-Young's daily photo album: https://robertowe-young.smugmug.com/2019-Mirror-Worl…/Day-5/#MirrorWorlds2019

KABOOM! Sydney amped up the show yesterday with a full blown Southerly Buster sweeping in after a stifling hot morning. The cool change was heralded by a 30 knot gust recorded at the airport, and it arrived at the club shortly before racing was due to start. This brought grins to some faces and nervous looks to others. There was a half hour delay as the RO waited to see what would happen, then the AP went down and boats were released.

There were some epic examples of sailing skill, none more so than 12 year old Duke Secco, who helmed Crescendo to complete the first race and record a result.

At the sharp end, McMissile (Campbell McKay and Stirling McKay) were fast off the line in the first race, and led the way up the first beat with Rumble Fish (John Dransfield and Tyler Dransfield) and Blue (Dave and Imogen Wade) close behind. Bulletproof (Simon Barwood and Tyson Barwood), who were in 4th, tried a gybe set while the other leaders went towards the shore. The Shark Island side didn’t work, and Bulletproof had lost ground to the leaders while Bob (Damian Carey and Austin Freer) had drawn closer.

As they reached the finish line, it was Rumble Fish first, followed by Blue, then McMissile.

In the second race, Bulletproof got the jump at the start and led up the first beat, tacking just in front of Blue on the starboard tack layline. Bulletproof caught a wave on the quarter and capsized while setting the spinnaker falling back to sixth. Blue didn’t look back and led the rest of the race to claim the win and cap a great day for David and Imogen. McMissile were second and Rumble Fish third. Bulletproof passed Foxy Lady III (Jess Andrewartha and Grant Atherton) and Firefly (Gavin Cooke and Oliver Cooke) up the next beat. Firefly unsure of the course at the top mark second time, sailed around the spreader mark letting Bulletproof get away on the first reach. A big gust came through halfway down the bottom reach for a fast ride to the line.

In the words of Simon Barwood, "Finally Sydney turns on some great weather for us, pity the thunderstorms brought a great day’s sailing to a premature end."

So, with one day and up to three races left, Rumble Fish now have a seven point lead at the top of the table, followed by McMissile, then Wave Catcher.

Enter the Rumble Fish! The big news yesterday was that Rumble Fish, now sailed by John and Tyler Dransfield, claimed two wins to move into second place behind Wave Catcher. John is a multiple Fireball World Champion who took to Mirror sailing seven years ago to teach his sons to sail.The first race of the day was won by Bob (Damian Carey and Austin Freer), followed by Rumble Fish, then Ripples (Chris Fuller and Daisy Fuller). The fleet struggled with the tide on the starting line and after a general recall the RO raised the black flag. Blue (David Wade and Imogen Wade) and Woody (Kevin Jarvis and Rose Jarvis) then became the first boats to be black flagged for the series.In the second race, Rumble Fish came first, followed by Bob, then Ripples. Wave Catcher (Cullen Hughes and James Hughes) came 7th, which combined with a 9th in the previous race, cut into their margin for the lead.The third race was won by Rumble Fish again, followed by McMissile (Campbell McKay and Stirling McKay) and Wave Catcher. Blue (David and Imogen Wade) came back with a 5th place. Waterborne At Last took a Scoring Penalty and scored as 26th (which was promptly dropped).So, with two days to go, Wave Catcher still holds the lead after the drop, but only by a single point, and the top five boats are still within 15 points of each other.1st Wave Catcher - 19 Points2nd Rumble Fish - 203rd Bob -244th McMissile - 265th Ripples - 336th Waterborne At Last - 397th Girra-girra - 578th B2 -579th Foxy Lady III -5710th Bulletproof -64The winds have been unexpectedly light so far, which has favoured the lighter crews. There are strong wind warnings for Sydney Harbour today and tomorrow, but only for parts of the day, and we may see only 10-15 knots for the racing.Full results here: http://www.imcansw.org/uploa…/1/3/9/8/13987755/series_r7.pdfAs always, don't forget to check out Rob Owe-Young's great daily photo albums: https://robertowe-young.smugmug.com/2019-Mirror-Worl…/Day-3/#MirrorWorlds2019

And so, the door opens and in walks Cullen Hughes! The reigning World Champion, with crew James, moved to the top of the table on Day Two with two wins out of three. The winds were light and shifty, around ten knots, and R3 especially saw many of the frontrunners have to fight their way back through traffic from the middle of the fleet.The first race of the day was won by Paul and Tess Plowman in Girra-girra. Girra-girra is named after the Gadigal word for "Seagull" and Pauland Tess have shown impressive form in light winds. 2nd was Waterborne At Last (Douglas Raftesath and Spencer McKay), with Wave Catcher (Cullen Hughes and James Hughes) coming third.In the second race, it was Wave Catcher, followed by newly crowned National Champions McMissile (Campbell McKay and Stirling McKay), then MadCat (Mark Nash and Caitlin Nash) from Hunters Hill.The third race began with darkening skies, but stronger winds. Once again it was Wave Catcher first, then MadCat, the Rumble Fish (now sailed by John Dransfield and Tyler Dransfield).So, the standings after Day Two are:1st Wave Catcher (9 points)2nd McMissile (22)3rd Bob (25)4th Waterborne At Last (28)5th Rumble Fish (29)6th MadCat (34)7th Foxy Lady III (34)8th Girra-girra (35)9th B2 (39)10th Ripples (47)

DAY ONE UPDATEAfter a week of typical Sydney Summer conditions, the first day of the Worlds saw some of the strangest weather we ever get, with midday fog, eerie mammatus clouds and light and fickle winds. The light winds proved especially cruel around the top mark in the only race of the day, with lots of boats caught in a horror show trying to get over the current to round the mark. At least the spectators on Shark Beach got a good view of lots of pretty red sails.At the sharp end, it was Bob (Damian Carey, Austin Freer) who claimed the points. 2nd was B2 (Jonathan Branch, Phoebe Branch), followed by Ripples (Chris Fuller, Daisy Fuller) in 3rd. 4th was Wave Catcher (Cullen Hughes and James Hughes) and 5th were the newly crowned National Champs, Campbell and Stirling McKay in McMissile. 6th was Girra-girra (Paul Plowman, Tess Plowman), showing a knack for speed in light winds. 7th was the MCA Demo boat sailed by Martin Egan (crew not recorded). 8th was Foxy Lady III (Jessie Andrewartha, Grant Atherton.About twenty boats were timed out and recorded as TLE on equal points at 41st position.As usual, don't forget to check out Robert Owe-Young's great daily photo albums (https://robertowe-young.smugmug.com/2019-Mirror-Worlds)​

And so, the 2019 Worlds begin... After a big opening fireworks display put on by the people of New South Wales, and a parade along the Rose Bay sea wall, we are now done to the business end.

The Pre-Worlds ended up being a tight contest between two Australian teams: McMissile from NSW, crewed by Campbell and Stirling McKay; and Bob from SA, crewed by Damian Carey and Austin Freer. McMissile took the crown in the end, with 5 wins from 9 races, while Bob showed amazing consistency to finish equal on points with finishes ranging from 2nd to 5th.

But, as Damian said, racing was close within the top 15 boats. Besides McMissile and Bob, there were three other race winners: B2 (Jon and Phoebe Branch); Waterborne At Last (Douglas Raftesath and Spencer McKay); and Foxy Lady III (Jessie Andrewartha and Grant Atherton).

Into the mix now come the two teams who fought it out for the title last time: Wave Catcher (reigning World Champion Cullen Hughes and James Hughes) and Blue (David Wade and Imogen Wade), both of whom sat out the Pre-Worlds. All eyes were therefore on the Practice Race yesterday, as team McMissile took a break, and Wave Catcher and Blue joined the action. Conditions were looking light and the boats were held ashore. For a while it looked like racing might be called off altogether. But the breeze filled in and, it was Bulletproof (Tyson and Simon Barwood) who took the win; followed by Wave Catcher; Bob; Ripples (Chris Fuller and Daisy Fuller); Rumble Fish (Alle Roodbergen and Anna Roodbergen); and Blue.

Today sees the start of the racing for the world title, with up to races possible. The BoM forecast is for 10-15 knots.